Toddler 'lucky to be here' after Aldi carpark accident

AT JUST three years old, Isaac Bredenhof is undergoing surgery for skin grafts that will enable him to walk normally again.

The toddler was hit by a car in the Aldi carpark two weeks ago, leaving his mother Jessicalee Jobson with an image of the incident seared into her mind. As she packed her shopping into the car Isaac ran out into the carpark to greet his grandmother but never made it into her arms.

He was hit by the passenger side of a car exiting the carpark, and ended up face-down on the concrete with his foot stuck under the front wheel.

"I couldn't get Isaac off the ground without (the driver) getting off his foot first," Ms Jobson said.

Isaac screamed as his mother yelled to the driver to reverse off her son.

"It was traumatising," Ms Jobson said.

"It's something that you never, ever want to happen. It takes that split second and they could be gone.

"He's lucky to even be here."

Isaac suffered a third- degree friction burn on the top of his left foot, stretching from his toes to the bottom of his shin.

He is still covered in bruises from the impact and also suffered grazes on his right hand and face, as well as a bump to the head.

After the family travelled back and forth for four days to Warwick Hospital, pictures of Isaac's foot were then sent to the burns unit at Lady Cilento Children's Hospital in Brisbane for assessment.

The family were swiftly told they would need to get to Brisbane by 3pm that very afternoon.

Sedated with ketamine, Isaac had his burn cleaned and a silver dressing was applied to help the skin heal.

Two days later the family returned for the dressing's removal and a skin grafting doctor decided a skin graft was needed.

"I broke down in tears at the hospital because I was hoping it wouldn't have to come to that," Ms Jobson said.

Yesterday Isaac travelled back to Brisbane to undergo surgery. Skin was taken from the top of his thigh to replace the skin on his foot.

Isaac will be in hospital for 10 days and will then need to learn how to walk again.

He has been walking with a limp as his foot is turned out at a 90-degree angle from his ankle.

Also the mother of eight-week-old Kaizer, Ms Jobson is now afraid to leave the house with both boys at the same time for fear of another accident.

"I just take one and leave the other one with my mum because I kind of blame myself for letting go of his hand for 2.5 seconds," she said.

No action was taken against the driver of the car as police determined he did nothing wrong.

Ms Jobson has since come to terms with the accident, no longer blaming herself as she understands no one was at fault.

"I'm just taking it day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute," she said.

"For a fair few nights I didn't sleep because when you close your eyes you get this image of him getting run over and over."

Coping with the injury has taken a toll on Isaac, an active child who now suffers pain if he runs around too much.

"Trying to explain to a three-year-old who has had three years to be active that he needs to slow down and can't play outside in case it gets dirt in it, it's hard.

"He's very sooky and likes to sit and cuddle because he can't do anything else."

Ms Jobson is unsure how long it will take for Isaac's foot to fully heal, saying it could be years depending on how the skin graft heals.

"I'm not sure if this will have a big effect or little effect," she said.